Origin, a silicon valley additive manufacturing startup, has emerged from years in stealth mode with $10 million in series A funding and a materials development partnership with chemical giant BASF.

A modular hardware system, with open materials compatibility and extensible software, Origin’s Open Additive Production platform is designed for flexibility and 3D printing in high volumes.

Jason Krikorian, General Partner at Series A funding lead DCM, comments, “Origin is poised to bring additive manufacturing beyond the current confines of prototyping to make a significant impact on the $600B plastics market,”

“We are strong believers that an open approach to materials will be key to unlocking the mass manufacturing potential of additive, and it’s great to see BASF as the first example of an industry leader to formally embrace the platform.”

3D printed mass production from the ground-up

Origin was founded in 2015 by CEO Chris Prucha and CTO Joel Ong. Then providing an open source 3D printing service, the company is known for producing the custom NFC chips used to identify authentic Marshawn Lynch Beast Mode sneakers. To make these devices Origin develop a specialized using Autodesk Ember 3D printers, a process chronicled by Autodesk in on YouTube.

The NFC chips served as a catalyst for Origin’s founders who then started to develop a platform from the ground up to tackle 3D printing for mass production.

Mass 3D printed lattices from Origin. Clip via Origin.io

The Origin Open Additive Platform

The premise of the Open Additive Platform is that 3D printer hardware and material availability is generally a rigid and, as the company states, “Even systems described as having “open materials” are limited.” Origin’s technology promises customers access to materials outside existing chemistries, that allow them to “achieve a rare combination of customization, strength, and throughput that surpasses anything on the market.”

BASF is the driver behind Origin’s material development, and so far the two entities have developed a new range of photopolymers and a new vat polymerization 3D printing process. According to Arnaud Guédou, Business Director of Photopolymer Solutions at BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, BASF is investing a lot in its partnership with Origin. In addition, Guédou says, “We plan to work with Origin to optimize our photopolymers and other additive materials to create a whole series of new options for high volume manufacturers.”

The first demo of the materials produced by Origin and BASF is the textured sample pictured below.